From a Logical Point of View
by Gooseberry Jam
Summary: Wizards are not known for thinking logically. Luckily Harry and Hermione were raised in the muggle world and have as such been surrounded by logic their whole lives. Here they put their ability to think logically to good use.
1. Fifth year: He's got Snuffles!

**Disclaimer, I don't own Harry Potter.**

**This will be a series of one-shots that will more or less go together. Harry and Hermione, having been raised in the muggle world, are able to think logically were most wizards are not and use this to their advantage. The situations will for the most part be taken from canon, it is however possible that I at some point will come up with a non-canon situation.**

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"Harry! Calm down! You know how illogical you get when stressed. Regardless of how good some of the plans you come up with under duress are, most of them could always have been better had you just calmed down enough to think logically," Hermione huffed in annoyance as Harry finally started taking deep breaths in order to calm down enough to think clearly.

"You are right, Hermione. I have a tendency to behave almost wizardlike when under duress," Harry smiled slightly.

"Exactly. Now, tell me. What exactly is going on and how do you propose we deal with it?" Hermione said with a no-nonsense voice.

"I fell asleep during our exam in History of Magic and had a vision, or possibly a dream," Harry amended at Hermione's sharp look. "At any rate, Voldemort had Snuffles at the Department of Mysteries and was torturing him, trying to make him take something down from a shelf. It was a glass sphere of some sort, almost like the ones we use to predict – or pretend to use to predict – the future in Divination."

"I see. So, correct me if I'm wrong. Towards the end of the exam you had a dream, or possibly a vision, of You-Know-Who torturing Snuffles into taking an object down from a shelf – which he presumably could have done himself since he was supposedly there – an object which looks like a crystal ball?" she looked at Harry for confirmation.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," he said nodding. "Although," he scrunched up his face in thought, "I think he said he was unable to take the object from the shelf."

Hermione nodded in thought. "So as a course of action – it was after all quite a while ago already so a little more time would probably not hurt, especially since any means we have of getting to London would take hours – we should try and ascertain whether Snuffles is indeed in need of rescuing and figure out what that object actually is."

"Yeah. We could try to talk to someone from the order, they can probably get in contact with Snuffles pretty easily. Who from the order is still at the school?"

"Well, both Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore are gone... I suppose there is always Professor Snape."

"Of course! I was thinking, since I couldn't come up with anyone from the order still at the school, that we should borrow Umbridge's floo again, despite there definitely being more protections around it now, and talk to Snuffles that way – but I didn't think of Snape! You're a genius Hermione!" Harry started running down the corridor to the dungeons and proceeded to knock insistently at Snape's office door until it opened.

"WHAT!?" Snape said furiously, as soon as he saw who it was his face took on an even more furious expression. "POTTER! What are you banging on my door for? Didn't I tell you to never come here again? Thirt..."

"It's Snuffles!" Harry interrupted him mid-rant. Snape just glared furiously – and a bit taken aback, having not been prepared for the interruption – at Harry for a couple of minutes, at which point Hermione had arrived, and let them both into his office, still glaring at Harry.

"Explain."

"I had a vis... is there a silencing charm you could use on this office, sir?"

"There is already one up."

"Really? That's useful. Anyway, as I was saying. I had a vision during our OWL exam in History of Magic, I fell asleep so I'm definitely not going to pass that exam, in the vision I saw Voldemort threatening and torturing Sirius at the Department of Mysteries – where the weapon, or whatever it is, is hidden..."

"How do you know about that?" Snape scowled at Harry.

"I have had visions like this before – I really think we ought to start up my occlumency training again, but if you could recommend some books on the subject first that would be useful – the visions all showed me a corridor; the one at the ministry outside the Department of Mysteries. I recognised it from when I was there for my hearing. I got closer and closer to the 'weapon'," Harry made bunny ears with his fingers, "in every dream. In this vision, or dream or whatever, it looked sort of like a crystal ball – like one of those we use in Divination, but smaller. Do you know what it is? He said that Sirius would be able to take it down from the shelf for him."

"It's a prophecy, a foretelling, stored in a small crystal ball. There are thousands of them at the ministry. Black would not have been able to take it off the shelf since only those the prophecy is about can do so. The fact that the Dark Lord did not try to take it off the shelf himself, seeing as it is about him, means he is in fact not at the ministry but is simply trying to lure you there. I will try to get in contact with headquarters and make certain Black is in fact there." Harry nodded. "In the meantime, you two should go back to Gryffindor tower and stay there, if the Dark Lord realises he has not been successful in luring you to the ministry he might try to get you there through different means." Harry nodded again and turned to leave together with Hermione who had watched their exchange anxiously. "And Potter," Harry turned slightly towards Snape to show he was listening, "we will start occlumency again on Monday."

"Thank you sir, and I'm sorry for what happened during our last session, as well as for how _they_," he emphasised they in order to make it obvious just who he meant, "treated you." With those parting words he turned around and ushered a slightly confused Hermione out of the office leaving a surprised Snape behind. Snape soon schooled his facial expression back into his usual mask of indifference and made to contact the order.


	2. Fifth year: It's rubbish?

"A prophecy?" Hermione sounded sceptical.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "That's what Dumbledore said, that Voldemort was informed of part of a prophecy, as predicted by Trelawney, and acted upon it when he tried to kill me after killing my parents. Apparently it could have been about either me or Neville."

"How does it go?" Hermione looked at Harry inquiringly.

"Er, let's see. '_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_'," He counted the lines off on his fingers as he recited the prophecy. "I think that's it," he looked up at Hermione who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"You know it by heart?" she asked incredulously.

"Ehm… yes?" Harry blushed slightly. "I have a good memory."

Hermione quickly got her bearings back. "You should use it more for schoolwork. Anyway, it's a bit vague isn't it? I mean, it doesn't even mention You-Know-Who by name, it just refers to him as the Dark Lord. There have been more than one Dark Lord, possibly even as the prophecy was made! And then there's the '_neither can live while the other survives_' part. If neither can live while the other lives, then how come you're both alive right now?"

Harry stared at Hermione, taking her words in. "So, simply put, it's rubbish?"

"Not necessarily, I wouldn't say. Prophecies are, as a rule, not self-fulfilling – as well as extremely cryptic. That is, they might very well come true, but then again they might not. It all comes down to whether or not it is acted upon – or, in some cases, whether events play out in a manner which fulfils the prophecy. A prophecy is a prediction of how the future _might_ be, not necessarily how it _will_ be. Due to this, if the prophecy is interpreted incorrectly, it might play out differently than was originally intended."

"So Voldemort, through acting on the prophecy, put it in motion – towards either him or me dying at the others hand?"

"Something along those lines yes, although Professor Dumbledore has acted a great deal upon it as well I would say. As it is, had neither Professor Dumbledore nor You-Know-Who heard the prophecy, you would most likely not have that scar on your forehead. Or then again you just might anyway, had the prophecy ended up being fulfilled through different means."

"This doesn't tell me what I am to do though. The prophecy states that '_either must die at the hand of the other_' which seems to mean that only I can kill him."

"If it means only you are capable of killing him, then he is the only one who's able to kill you. Since '_either must die at the hand of the other_' doesn't work in just one, but both ways."

"You're telling me that if someone was to try to kill me, they would be unsuccessful?" Harry looked at Hermione disbelievingly.

"It's possible, if unlikely. At any rate I wouldn't risk finding out. What do you think the '_power the Dark Lord knows not_' is?"

"Dumbledore thinks it is love for some reason, something about my mother's sacrifice. Which frankly doesn't make much sense, seeing as it then would be my mother who had the '_power the Dark Lord knows not_', not me."

"Mm," Hermione hummed in thought. "Let's go through what we know, or think us know, so far. The prophecy states that you, or Neville, has the power to vanquish the Dark Lord, supposedly You-Know-Who, due to a power he knows not and," Hermione frowned in thought, "'_either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives_' essentially means that only one of you can be alive at a time, or you both die, and the only one who can kill you is this Dark Lord – and vice versa."

"'_The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal_' could be referring to my scar, although that would hardly make me his equal. Unless him being out-powered by an infant's mother's dying sacrifice makes me his equal, and somehow I doubt that."

"In short, the prophecy doesn't make much sense," Hermione concluded and looked over at Harry. "Professor Dumbledore thinks you are the only one who can defeat You-Know-Who?" she inquired gently. At Harry's nod she continued, "Then we'll make sure he is defeated – simply put, as you say – but you won't have to do it on your own," she smiled at Harry who beamed back at her.


	3. Second year: Think, Ron, think!

**Thank you all of those who've reviewed, they are highly appreciated!**

**I will, as will as of this chapter become apparent, not always post in chronological order. This is simply because I post chapters as I write them. If chapters are closely related, or more importantly are based on each other, I will do my best to publish them directly after each other, ****as I will do with the chapter following this one.**

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"Think, Ron, think! Use that brain of yours," Harry gave Ron an exasperated look. "Where is Hermione when I need her? In the hospital wing, petrified, that's where! Fan-_bloody_-tastic!" he mumbled under his breath. In a louder voice he said, "Ron it's a _basilisk_. As in a fifty foot monster whose _look _alone will kill you, never mind its _poisonous fangs_."

Ron stared at Harry in open confusion, not used to Harry being logical with him – he usually left it to Hermione to explain things to Ron. "But, Ginny… We can't just leave her!"

"Of course not, but we need to think this through," Harry said simply. "It says – on the note Hermione had in her hand – that '_the basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it'_. I meet Hagrid just before Christmas on his way to tell Dumbledore that someone had been killing the school's roosters, so there currently aren't any on the school premises."

"How will we get a hold of a rooster if there's none at the school?" even though Ron's voice still was frantic, he was able to draw a somewhat logical conclusion from Harry's statement. "It's not like we can go to Hogsmeade and borrow one!"

"True, we can however transfigure one."

"Transfigure?" Ron sounded uncertain, and now much calmer. "I don't remember us learning how to transfigure a rooster."

"We have, in fact, not learned how to transfigure a rooster. I have, however, spent enough time in the library with Hermione by now to know where the books on inanimate to animate transfiguration are," with that he took hold of Ron's arm and rushed, dragging Ron after him, to the library to look for just such a book. Relatively quickly, Harry had spent _far _too much time in the library with Hermione, they found what they were searching for. Luckily, despite them not having learned how to do it yet, it was a simple first year level transfiguration and Harry mastered it within minutes. After which they rushed to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.


	4. Second year: Nearly nothing, you say?

Harry stared at Riddle who was standing over Ginny, still looking like he did fifty years ago – apart from the ghostly light surrounding him. He then shifted his gaze to Ginny who was lying on the floor – far too still for his liking, especially since it was clear she wasn't petrified. A short distance away from Ginny was Tom Riddle's diary, looking innocent if not a bit out of place. He looked back at Riddle.

"The diary wouldn't have something to do with the chamber opening again, would it?" Riddle looked somewhat baffled, as if that hadn't been what he'd expected Harry to say. "I mean, you went to school fifty years ago when the chamber first opened and now, when the chamber is once again opened, your diary appears. Hardly a coincidence wouldn't you say?" He narrowed his eyes at Riddle, "How can you be here anyway? You might still be alive after fifty years, but you'd hardly look _exactly_ like you did back then. That's impossible even with magic. Unless you made the philosophers stone at sixteen, and I happen to know that the only philosophers stone in existence was made by Nicholas Flamel – or that existed I suppose, since it was supposedly destroyed a year ago."

Riddle glared at him, "I'm a memory, preserved in a diary for fifty years. Ginny poured her soul out whilst writing in my diary, literally. I'm able to be here because the diary is using her life-force to make me more than just a memory. As for my diary being responsible for the chamber opening," he sneered, "I suppose you can say that it is."

"I see," Harry looked down at Ginny again. "So instead of laying low while sucking the life-force out of Ginny and as such doing so without being found out, you decided to use the time until you could return to being alive – since I assume you aren't anymore – to kill off some muggle-borns, unsuccessfully I might add. Why would you want to kill muggle-borns to begin with? I thought that was Voldemort's thing, and as far as I know he was a little after your time."

"_Lord_ Voldemort," Riddle said softly, "is my past, present and future. You see, Harry Potter, _I am Lord Voldemort_. And now," he grinned evilly and said, before Harry could really take in the fact that he was once again face to face with Voldemort, "you die." With that he turned around and hissed at the gigantic statue of Salazar Slytherin which stood there – whose mouth proceeded to open, revealing a gaping hole inside which something was moving. Harry gripped his wand more firmly, reciting the incantation for transfiguring a rooster in his head, eyes closed tight. When he heard something heavy hit the floor of the chamber he said the incantation out loud, accompanied with the wand movement, vaguely aiming at a stone he had seen on the floor earlier. Squinting he sighed relieved when he could see a rooster in front of him on the floor. Riddle gasped in surprise as Harry took hold of the rooster, squeezing it in hopes of it crowing. Moments later a loud '_Cock-a-doodle-doo_' sounded through the chamber, closely followed by a loud thump. Harry slowly cracked his eyes open, satisfied by what he saw he cautiously – so that he didn't accidentally look into the eyes of the basilisk, he wasn't certain it wouldn't kill him even if it was dead – opened his eyes fully and looked over at Riddle who was staring horrified at the fallen basilisk. Carefully, as to not alert Riddle, he went over and picked up the diary from the floor.

"Not so smug now are you," Harry grinned up at Riddle from where he was sitting on the floor beside Ginny, trying to ascertain her condition. He looked from the diary in his left hand to his wand in his right and back again. Making a decision he used _incendio_ on the diary, nothing happened.

"You can't burn the diary," Riddle's glare could almost rival Snape's, almost. "Nearly nothing can do damage to it."

"Nearly nothing, you say," Harry gazed at the _very_ poisonous fangs of the basilisk. Quickly making his way over he said, "how about basilisk venom?" and impaled the diary on a tooth, making sure he didn't wound himself in the process – it's _extremely_ poisonous after all.

"NOO!" Riddle reached over for Harry and the now ink-leaking diary – before he managed to do something however, he disappeared into nothing.

Harry stared at the spot Riddle had stood moments earlier, "Seems like basilisk venom wasn't one of the things the diary could withstand." A movement made him look down at Ginny, who was now stirring. He withdrew the diary from the fang, once again mindful of the rest of the teeth, and rushed over to help Ginny.


	5. Third year: You did what? !

"You did what?!" Harry stared horrified at the men before him, unable to believe what he had just been told. "You endangered a fellow student's life, as well as that of a friend, _for a joke_?"

Sirius didn't even look apologetic, "He deserved it, the slimy git. Always sneaking around, trying to get us into trouble."

Harry stared incredulously at Sirius, "Considering what I've heard here tonight you probably didn't need help getting into trouble. No wonder Snape hates you, _you tried to kill him_. And you," he turned on Lupin, poking a finger in the man's chest, "you condoned his behaviour, Snape has every right to hate you."

"Harry, why are you taking that git's side over ours? Your father would never have taken his side over ours," Sirius whined.

Harry glared at Sirius, "Well, considering I'm not my father, what he would have done in this situation is hugely beside the point. As to why I'm taking Snape's side over yours," he paused for breath, "Snape might be a git alright, but I only just met you and so far you've not proved yourself to be worth condoning such behaviour for. Snape being curious about what you were doing – even trying to get you into trouble – doesn't excuse _trying to get him killed._ Never mind the fact that had Professor Lupin even come close to biting Snape he would have been executed. Right Hermione?" Harry turned to where Hermione stood, clutching her wand tightly, watching the exchange.

"Yes, you are correct Harry. Professor Dumbledore had to have pulled a lot of strings allowing a werewolf to attend the school in the first place, had said werewolf then bitten another student it would have been expelled and then executed, no matter who was at fault," she nodded at Harry.

Sirius paled and looked over at Lupin, who if possible looked even paler than Sirius. "I'm sorry Moony, I didn't think…"

"That's the problem isn't it?" Harry glared at Sirius. "You don't think about the consequences of your actions. If what you're saying about Pettigrew being responsible for my parents' deaths – as well as you being put in Azkaban – is true, then you have no one but yourself to blame. You, despite being my godfather and therefore having a responsibility to me, left me with Hagrid and went after Pettigrew – thinking only of revenge. Dumbledore might be the Chief Warlock and what not, but he still can't place orphaned children with whomever he sees fit. You, being my godfather, would have held more weight than him."

"And Professor Lupin," Hermione spoke up, "you said that Harry's father rescued Professor Snape '_at great risk to his life_'," Lupin nodded. "Well, if he was an Animagus then he could have just transformed and would have been out of harm's way should anything have happened. He rescued Professor Snape, at literary _no_ _risk_ to his own life_._"

"Correct, Miss Granger," sneered the cold voice of Snape from behind Lupin. He was pulling the invisibility cloak off himself, pointing his wand at the two marauders.


End file.
